Week 4 – Twenty Love Poems
by kenwardt
Hey everyone,
I don’t usually partake in poetry, but Pablo Neruda’s “Twenty Love Poems” was an interesting read and really allowed me to paint a picture of how Neruda believes love to be. Neruda used such descriptive imagery to convey the emotions he was feeling. These selection of poems were all over the place, but they all shared such a compelling view of love. One of the poems I was particularly interested in was the fourth poem, “The Morning is Full.” His description of love relating to nature was powerful, and I liked how he compared such drastic seasons together such as “the morning is full of storm in the heart of summer.” (I am reading from an e-text and there aren’t any page numbers). I like to think of poetry as at times being quite abstract, and the reader having the final say as to what they poem means. In this case, I think it is quite clear though that Neruda is facing some hardships in his relationship, and even in the summer, his heart and mind are filled with sorrow through the storm.
After watching the lecture video and conversation video, I find it very interesting that Neruda was only 19 years old when he wrote the “Twenty Love Poems”; to be able to write such descriptive poetic imagery at such a young age was interesting to me. When analyzing the 20th poem, the lecture video along with the conversation video allowed me to see the sheer way in which he treated the woman he was describing. The use of the preterite when describing his love towards her was a focal point in how I was able to understand the ruthlessness of Neruda’s words.
Although I am not fluent in Spanish, if I have the time, I would love to read the poems in its original form and be able to notice exactly what words Neruda was using to describe the woman through imagery and the idea of love. Often times, words are lost in translation and the English meaning may mean something similar but not quite exact. I think it is important to analyze the text in its original form in order to understand the way Neruda feels about love at the tender age of 19.
Now to end off with a question: Did your view of Neruda change after watching the lecture and conversation videos? Why or Why not?
What you say is true, in poetry there is usually a tendency towards abstraction. However, it seems to me that Neruda struggles to maintain materiality in his images, especially those that are anchored in Nature. This leaves us room to interpret from our own thoughts and affections. It would therefore be very interesting to compare the effects of reading in both languages!
Hey! I think you made a really good point about the importance of understanding the nuances of the work in its original published language. Personally, my view didn’t change all that much after watching the videos because the first read of the poem gave me a pretty good sense of his understanding of love and his perspective of a woman, which I would assume might be easier to pick up from the lens of a female anyways. Although I would say there is no way I can view him the same after learning he had raped a woman; it’s sort of impossible to not change your view of him after learning that, and I sort of see his “passion” in a new light, especially considering how he wrote this himself in his own memoir, which I think is also a notable detail that he would decide to admit this himself.
Hey! Great post. I agree about the collection being all over the place, but I found that really compelling and engaging about the collection. I find that poetry can be quite repetitive sometimes, so it’s obscurity kept me engaged throughout. My view changed a lot after the lecture. Particularly with what you were talking about how he wrote this at 19. Part of me wishes I didn’t know this because my initial reaction to it was that it therefore must lack the depth that love poems often have because how could he have experienced the kind of love that it takes to write like this at that age. But after reading it, it really made me check my biases and appreciate how age doesn’t dictate how valid one’s perspective can be.
Hi! Wonderful post. I agree that reading these poems in Spanish would add an added layer to the depth of the writing. You noticing the use of preterite rather than imperfect was poignant, and adds more to the language and understanding than English can translate. My view of Neruda was somewhat changed after watching the lecture video mainly because I didn’t catch just how absent the woman and her perspective was until it was pointed out to me in the lecture videos. Once I went back and reviewed the poems, I realized that it almost sounded as though it could have been about Neruda with any woman… not one in particular.
Hey! Awesome post. I think you bring up a great point about how evocative Neruda’s use of descriptive imagery was in exhibiting his feelings about love and despair. I found myself relating to many of his words and his use of various literary devices aided in that. After the lecture, I realized how important nuances are between the English translation and the original Spanish text. Words like “inciendo” and “fuego”–as discussed in lecture” are two ways of describing fire. I found that so interesting and how that changes over in regard to the english text. To answer your question, my view has definitely changed of him, especially after learning what he did to a woman. It’s hard to move past that after learning that. But, regardless, I did enjoy reading his poems and made me want to try reading other poetry as well–which is something i normally don’t do!